say staying ‘mindfully aggressive’ helped them break the China Masters jinx and the triumph has provided a ‘big boost’ ahead of the Asian Games, where they will go ‘all guns blazing’.
It was third time lucky for the Indian duo as they produced a stirring comeback to beat China’s He Jiting and Ren Xiangyu 11-21, 21-13, 21-17 and clinch the China Masters Super 750 title here on Sunday. “Playing here is always good. We have always played [well] coming back from injury. In 2024, after the Olympics, we played the semis here. Last year we weren’t in good shape, but reached the final,” Satwik said.
“After coming back from injury, this has been a tournament that has given us a lot of confidence. This week has been the same story. Except for the first round, all our matches have gone to three games.”
Talking about the final, Satwik said: “Today, we held our nerve. We didn’t make easy mistakes in the end, which was positive. We were just sticking to the game plan. We made a game plan before coming here. We wanted to do that. If it works, then it’s good. If not, we’ll go back and work again. So I think it worked today. We’re really happy to break the jinx.”
The title comes just weeks before their title defence at the Asian Games, scheduled to be held from September 19 in Japan.
Talking about the , Chirag said: “It feels really special. Obviously, going into the Asian Games, winning a title definitely gives a huge boost that yes, what we are working for is in the right direction.
“We’ll go back home, push ourselves to the limit, train for the next 10 days and go all guns blazing at the Asian Games. We want to go out there and have some fun.”
Asked if they were not aggressive enough in the opening game, Chirag said the issue was their shot selection.
“In the first game, it wasn’t lacking, but we weren’t playing the right strokes. We were playing a style which favoured them. And when we do that, they come all guns blazing. You don’t really find any space to play against them because they are extremely fast and furious,” Chirag said.
“So in the second game we wanted to be aggressive, but mindfully aggressive. And that’s what he [coach] was telling us.”